Dust Child

‘Dazzling. Sharply drawn and hauntingly beautiful.’ Elif Shafak, Women’s Prize-shortlisted author of The Island of Missing Trees

In 1969, two sisters from rural Viet Nam leave their parents’ home and travel to the bustling city of Sai Gon. Soon their lives are swept up in the unstoppable flames of a war that is blazing through their country. They begin working as ‘bar girls’ in one of the drinking dens frequented by American GIs, forced to accept that survival now might mean compromising the values they once clung to.

Decades later, two men wander through the streets and marketplaces of a very different Sai Gon: modern, forward-looking, healing. But neither of these men can escape the shadow of decisions made by themselves and others during a time of war.

Through the interwoven stories of these four unforgettable characters, Dust Child exposes the devastating legacy of conflict, and asks what it takes to move forward. Heartfelt, suspenseful and poetic, this is Nguyen Phan Que Mai at her very best.